Cobra Kai, the hit series and latest entry in the Karate Kid franchise is looking ahead to its third season in January. The show follows former antagonist Johnny Lawrence as he attempts to revive the fortunes of Cobra Kai, the dojo he was a member of in The Karate Kid, and turn it into something better than it was. It also follows The Karate Kid protagonist Danny LaRusso as he finds bad memories brought to the surface by the return of Cobra Kai, and eventually forms his own dojo (Miyagi-Do) in response. The end of season 2 was possibly the show’s most dramatic episode yet with a huge fight breaking out between the two rival dojos, and there are several exciting plot points to look forward to in season 3.
One of the biggest questions ahead of the upcoming season is the fate of Miguel Diaz, Johnny Lawrence’s prize pupil. In the most recent episode he was hospitalized by love rival and Miyagi-Do member Robby Keene when a fight between the two spiraled out of control. The most recent trailer for the show has already hinted that he will wake up, but what shape will he be if/when that happens?
Cobra Kai has spent a lot of time on the mentor/student relationship between Johnny and Miguel, and that relationship is often the show’s emotional heart. Before Robby put Miguel in the hospital the former deliberately held back from finishing off the latter because of advice that Johnny had given him about honor and mercy. If Miguel blames Johnny’s advice (like other members of Cobra Kai do) for his injuries the relationship between the two might be strained in season 3. On the other hand, Miguel might not blame Johnny at all, and the show’s next season could be about Johnny trying to push him away “for his safety” despite Miguel attempting to reconnect with him.
At the end of season 2, Amanda LaRusso (Danny’s wife) told her husband to stop teaching karate because of the harm caused by the big fight, and he agreed. Johnny has also decided to turn away from teaching karate, though his decision was pushed along by his mentor John Kreese, taking control of Cobra Kai from him. But what do the kids themselves have to say about this? Sure, the adults (well, the decent ones) might “be done” with karate, but that doesn’t mean their students agree with them. The Cobra Kai dojo will be continuing under Kreese, and the Miyagi-Do students could find themselves under attack from Miguel’s vengeful friends. They could very well still want the sense of security, self-confidence, and inner peace that Miyagi-Do gave them. The fate of Robby Keene also hangs in the balance, with recent trailers showing him behind bars.
Among the more dramatic events of the most recent Cobra Kai episode, there was the suggestion that Ali Mills, Danny’s love interest from The Karate Kid and Johnny’s ex-girlfriend could be making an appearance in future episodes. Cobra Kai has always called back to the movie franchise it came from. Clips from the first three movies have been used as flashbacks for both Jonny and Danny, and both of them have spoken to other characters about how they remember key moments from their respective teen years. Bringing Ali back would allow the writers to play around with another point of view. Johnny has already had his chance to give Miguel (and the audience) his take on what went on between him and Danny in The Karate Kid, and it came with the “revelation” (well, retcon), that Johnny and Ali had in fact dated. Ali might have similar reveals of her own, and it could shine a new light on both Johnny and Danny.
Perhaps the most exciting thing to look forward to in Cobra Kai next year is a change of setting. Earlier this year it was revealed that the franchise would be returning to Japan, the setting of The Karate Kid Part II. Taking Cobra Kai to Japan brings a whole slew of possibilities with it. We could see the return of previous antagonist Chozen Toguchi. We could see Danny take stock of how he got to that point, and make the decision to turn away from the way he has been acting up to that point. Danny’s character arc has always been about his attempts to find balance in his life again after his rivalry with Johnny awakened an ugly side with him, and taking the character back to Japan could see him learn some long needed lessons about himself. A change of locations won’t be restricted to Japan either, with the people behind the show promising to shed more light on Kreese’s time in Vietnam. The Cobrai Kai sensei has always been something of a looming figure in the franchise, even when not present, and there is a lot of potential in the decision to flash out his backstory; fans might finally found out why he’s such an asshole.
Cobra Kai is at a crossroads. All of the resentments which built up over both in the movies and the show in particular came to an ugly head, and the fallout from that was massive. Season 3 will most likely about showing the characters pick up the pieces from that fallout, and attempt to move on their lives. How they do that promises to reveal a lot about who these characters are. When you throw in the promise of familiar faces and fan favorites returning, you have all the ingredients you need for a great season of television. It will involve taking what’s been done before, and using it to tell new stories. That’s what Cobra Kai does best.
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